Thursday, October 29, 2009

Here is the current view out my front door. No, there isn't dust on the lens, that's snow. The temperature is actually skewed upwards because that thermometer sits on the chimney, and the flue for the heat goes through the chimney. The high today is supposed to be 17, we have about 12 inches of snow and it's still falling.

I don't think I'm going to be able to get to work today. The high in the Springs is supposed to be about 24, but when I look at the traffic cams, there isn't much accumulation of snow, probably just icy.

We did get a new 2-stage snow blower, but the problem is (with a forecast of possible 3-7 more inches) I don't think I'd be able to get back in my driveway. If there was some convenient place to park the car, then walk up and use the snow blower I could probably do that, but there just isn't. Maybe it will stop and I'll just get to work late.

Here is one more picture, I looked out the window and saw this on top of the light. Why did it pile up that particular way, and how does it stay? It must be because of the friction of the snow flakes that it can be in that shape and relatively stable.

Monday, October 26, 2009

I read a number of blogs, and I saw a link for Quilts for Kids on one. I decided to send away for a kit. It came very quick...I have the borders and then quilting on this one, so I should be done. You can request a kit yourself. It comes to you pre-cut, and includes the backing fabric. They ask that you quilt it and send it back with one you make yourself. If you want to request a kit, here is the link.

If you want to see what is on other folks design wall this Monday, check Judy's site.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

As you can see, I've changed the colors and other stuff. It was time. I would love to move the furniture in my house, but I can't the rooms are such that things fit just about one way...so I find change where I can.

I'm feeling pretty good about finishing tops lately. I quilted very simply...just along both sides of the sashing and then a small octagon in the kaleidoscopes. I'm going to send this to a niece. I still have many more tops to finish. I guess it's time to count again, so I know how many I have left.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

There is just so much room under the harp. It makes me laugh sometimes when I look at something like this. The quilt is a twin. I have quilted a larger quilt but not recently. I'm quilting around the blocks, just inside the sashing, then I'm going to do something in the blocks, but I don't know what yet. I was just sitting here working on moving the quilt through, and thought about how much fabric I have in there...but I still like it.

Because I'm using the walking foot, it's actually pretty easy and accurate to get the thing done on straight lines. I hope will be quilted this weekend, then on to the next.

...and what happens when you don't get all the bits of fabric off the table. I get to do some surgery!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

I'm working on quilting another top. I bought fleece for backs for about 6 quilts, so I am trying to get them done. This is the way I pin the tops with fleece. I put the fleece down, and just smooth out the part that is nearest me on the edge of the table. The rest of it remains bunched up on the back of the table. I put the top on the fleece and start pinning. I smooth and pin as I go. I don't stretch the fleece taut, just smooth it out. This works for me, and I don't need a huge table to get it done.

I don't know how I am going to quilt this one yet. But I'll start with outlining the blocks somehow, then maybe quilt in the kaleidoscopes.

Monday, October 19, 2009

That's it. I just finished quilting my mystery top, but this is next. I think I've made one more block since I last posted about it...hope to finish more this week. Check out what other's are doing on Judy's blog.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Yay! Another quilt finished. This one has a nice chocolate brown fleece for batting/backing. I quilted around each block in the quilt, and then a bit more quilting around the pieced interlocking squares. I think that will hold it together enough. I turned the fleece backing to the front to bind it...DONE!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Lookee what I made. These are bookmarks. I've seen them in bookstores for about $15. I've bought beads for a while, so had a bit of a stash. They were pretty easy to make. I think I'm going to make a number of them for Christmas.

I really didn't need to find another hobby, but I don't think I'll go hog wild with this one (at least I hope not). If you're interested in making one , you can follow this tutorial.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

I've measured it, and the size is about 50 x 70. If I add borders it's just going to be too large (if I make them 3 inches...the size of the sashing) so I think I'm going to stop here. I might add a 1 inch border so I have something without seams to sew the binding to. Someone suggested I use a striped fabric for the binding. That sounds fun, and I have some great stripes so I'll figure out which one to use. I'm going to find a white (pity the poor person that gets this) fleece for the backing. though I guess I could use a pastel of some kind, that might be a better idea...then not quite so bad in terms of dirt.

I'm pretty sure the local Hancock Fabrics is having a sale on no-pill fleece this weekend, so I'll go down and see what I find. I think I know who is going to get this one, another niece (I have many). This turned out better than I thought it would when I first got the blocks. I guess white can really set things off too, especially a disparate group of blocks like this.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

These are the 9-patch blocks I got from a swap a while ago. Didn't know what I was going to do, so thought I'd keep it simple. I was just going to throw them on the wall and sew them together, but it looked too messy. So I kind of grouped the like colors together, and this is what I got. It works for me. I can't decide if I should add borders about the same width, or leave it without borders and quilt it from here...what do you think?

Friday, October 9, 2009

Here is the quilt top, finished. Doesn't look much like Judy's original, but I like it. I feel pretty good because I used up set aside fabric, and bits from a quilt I was never going to make, and it's done.

I think this is my favorite quilt--simple but I love the way it looks. I took a class from Ricky Tims sometime before 2003 and bought 4 different yard cuts of his multi-colored fabric. It's been around since then, waiting to be made. Sometime after that I bought a template for a drunkards path quilt, and sometime after that I bought the curve master foot. I have a friend at work who also quilts, and we decided to have a quilt retreat--just the two of us.

These purchases all came together to make this quilt. I was a garment sewer before I became a quilter, so the curved piecing didn't freak me out. We sat, and sewed and chatted, and by the end of the weekend I had all the curved pieced blocks done. I decided used one yard of the Ricky Tims fabric, and needed to add the second yard for the border blocks. I almost never make pieced borders, but this quilt seemed to call for them. I used Eleanor Burns' method for making the flying geese. I got 4 each time, and they're trimmed to size, so were exactly right. I tend to play around with Paint (the software program) to see if my ideas will look like I hope, and when I showed my friend the idea of the flying geese, she didn't like it much. I decided to go ahead, and when I showed her the completed top, she said I was right, it added just the right touch.

In all the years I've been quilting, I've never made a quilt just for my husband, so when it was up on my design wall, I looked at it and asked him what he thought. He liked it lots, so I gave it to him.

The quilting is pretty amazing as well. I am working with another friend on setting up a web site for her, and she is quilting some tops for me. This is one I didn't want to do myself, so searched to find an angular pattern to use on the top. I also took a while to pick out the thread, and ended up with a multi-colored bright. All together I think the top is delicious, and a group effort that I had so much fun doing.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

I'm liking it much better now. The top and bottom borders are already attached, the two side borders, not yet. Not only did I use some blocks I had made, but I like this a lot too. Because I wasn't too sure of the colors, having more blocks in those colors wouldn't have been a good thing, I think this works just fine.

This is also my What's on Your Design wall post. If you want to see more, check out Judy's blog.

Friday, October 2, 2009

I thought I was going to have the 9-patch blocks going different directions, but I didn't pay attention when I sewed on the first part of the border, so they'll be going all the same direction. I guess that's the way they were supposed to go!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

I have these 9-patches that were going to go in the original quilt (that I am now not making) and I would like to use them. I think they'll look just fine as the border in the quilt. I've done my thing in Paint, and I think they'll work. Plus, I have them already made, so that should speed things up some. What do you think, my version above, and Judy's below.